Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals Guide to Unique Gifts and Shopping for Art Lovers

If you’re looking for a unique souvenir to bring home from your halcyon Santa Barbara vacation rental, you are in luck. You don’t have to gallery hop (unless you want to). There are many venues in Santa Barbara that bring artists and their masterpieces together with those who want to take them home.

No stay at a Santa Barbara vacation rental is complete without a visit to the Santa Barbara Arts Collective. The Arts Collective is offering a gift that keeps on giving. Like a wine-of-the-month club (also a great present idea), the SBAC is offering a different print, from a different artist every month for 12 months. They are $50 each and come in a limited edition of 25 prints, so you need to act fast if you want to enjoy art every month.

Every Sunday many Santa Barbara vacation rental guests enjoy an artsy stroll along the free Santa Barbara Arts & Crafts Show. The show happens every Sunday (contingent upon weather) and on some holidays from 10:00 a.m. until dusk. 300 Santa Barbara artists display their own drawings, paintings, graphics, sculpture, crafts and photography in Chase Palm Park. For more information, please call (805) 897-1982.

If you get to your Santa Barbara vacation rental on the first Thursday of the month, downtown Santa Barbara galleries keep their doors open late from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. so the public can enjoy local art in a fun atmosphere. Music, demonstrations and refreshments are also offered, not far from Anacapa Villas. For more information, please call (805) 962-2098.

On Saturdays, Santa Barbara vacation rental guests of all ages will enjoy visiting Art From Scrap at 302 East Cota Street. Art From Scrap holds a family fun workshop every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for all ages. Children under age five must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $6. For more information, please call (805) 884-0459.

If you want to turn your Santa Barbara vacation rental into an artist's retreat, you'll need supplies and inspiration. Crimson Holiday, a new local arts and crafts store, celebrated its opening at La Cumbre Plaza with art crafted by 25 Santa Barbara artists. The store has holiday fare plus many perennial pieces. There are plenty of paintings and prints, novelty paintings, three-dimensional art, hats, scarves, handbags, necklaces, earrings, bead weaves, glass and ceramic vases, dishes, plates, tables and chairs, soaps, lotions and scented candles. Children have their own corner with blankets, stuffed animals and doll dresses. Crimson Holiday is open Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Special extended hours during holidays. Call (805) 682-6666 for more information.

Just down the road from your Santa Barbara vacation rental, the Camino Real ArtWalk in Goleta attracts local and visiting artisans with their handmade arts and crafts, and very often live music. It is located in The Marketplace just 10 miles west of Santa Barbara. Their regular season runs from January through November, with special 2010 holiday dates of November 27 & 28, December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.

You can bring your treasures back to your Santa Barbara vacation rental and enjoy them for the rest of your stay. When it’s time to go home again, simply ask the Santa Barbara Luxury Rental concierge to pack and ship them for you so you can bask in the afterglow of your vacation until you return to our lovely, arty community again.